Setting up a new iMac so my data can not be retrieved?

[kat.hayes]

I'm about to set up a new iMac Pro that I will be returning back to work in a couple of months. I want to use my iCloud account and import lots of my own personal files to the Mac.

What is the best way to securely wipe the SSD (from what I understand that should not be done) or simply ensure that my personal data is not accessible when I bring the Mac back? Turn on File Vault? Other?

Thanks.

 

[Clix Pix]

This doesn’t sound like a wise idea to me.....why would you want to import a lot of your personal files to a machine which is designated for work and which belongs to the employer, not you, and which will have to be wiped and returned to the employer in just a couple of months anyway?

 

[flyinmac]

There is a tool to securely wipe most brands of SSD. But they are generally specific to the drive manufacturer. And run in Windows. But you can’t be booted from the drive you plan to wipe.

And if the machine has a planned time to leave your possession, I’d skip putting anything personal on it.

 

[kat.hayes]

It probably is not the best idea...however, how are Macs securely wiped these days when you are not supposed to securely wipe an SSD? As flyinmac suggested, is using a third party application "specific to the drive manufacturer" the only option? How do you sell Macs these days without letting others possibly access your data?

Thanks.

 

[DeltaMac]

One method is to use File Vault.
Encrypt your existing hard drive with File Vault.
Leave that drive encrypted. Boot to an external system. Internet Recovery would be good, too.
Erase the encrypted drive with Disk Utility.
Reinstall macOS. The only possibility of recovering old files would simply give you fragments of the encrypted bits, if anything at all.
You could also move to another level by encrypting the newly install macOS drive, then erasing THAT encrypted drive.
Install macOS again, and be happy...

 

[sublunar]

Install the OS and your personal files on a USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 external SSD drive and boot off that instead. That way none of your private files ever touch the internal SSD. Quite a costly solution though.

 

[Fishrrman]

sublunar has it 100% right in reply 6 above.

DON'T put personal stuff on a computer that's going to be returned to work in a relatively short time.

Instead, get an external drive (an external SSD would be a good choice), and BOOT and RUN the iMac that way, with your personal stuff kept on "a personal drive".

Will make it much easier when the time comes to "give back" the iMac to work.